Q. After some blood work, my dog was diagnosed with anemia. Now my vet wants to conduct a bunch of other tests. Can’t I just give him an iron supplement?
Travis Zelenski
Chicago, Illinois
Dear Ms. Zelenski,
A. Anemia simply means a low red blood cell count. There are many reasons the concentration of red blood cells could fall too low. Too little iron in the diet (exceedingly rare in dogs) is just one of them. The doctor has to find out why the anemia has taken hold in order to be able to treat the underlying problem that is causing it.
For instance, the root cause of the anemia might be a loss of red blood cells due to internal bleeding, and the exact location of the bleeding has to be found. The doctor also needs to understand why the internal bleeding is occurring in order to properly tend to it. Anemia could also result from a failure to produce enough red blood cells in the first place, which could be an indication of abnormalities in the bone marrow, such as leukemia or an infection. Kidney disease, too, can keep enough red blood cells from being produced.
Finally, red blood cells may be destroyed by an overzealous immune system; toxins such as zinc; tick borne disease; or certain cancers.
That’s why the vet will want to do further testing. Without it, there’s no sure way of fixing the problem.
